Friday The 13th: Wine Superstitions
It's Friday the 13th, but hopefully bad luck is not upon us. Wine has been produced for thousands of years, so naturally there are many superstitions and traditions associated with it. Here are some of them. Disobey these at your own risk.
In Italy, if you spill wine, you must dab some of the spilled wine behind each ear. This was likely passed down from the Romans, who thought spilling wine was a bad omen.
In Varnhalt, Germany, the last grapes harvested in every season must be brought in by an ox-drawn cart, or the entire season's harvest will turn sour.
Romanians traditionally pour some wine on the ground so their dead friends can drink along with them.
In ancient Egypt, royals were buried with five jars of wine to bring with them into the afterlife. This was for good luck, so they could use the wine to enjoy themselves in the presence of other royals.
In Germany, when a person dies, the wine in their cellar must be shaken as soon as possible.
In Lithuania, it is said that at exactly midnight on Christmas Eve, water turns to wine and animals start talking when no humans are around to listen.
During a storm, fishermen used to pour wine into the sea to calm the waters.
During Jewish weddings, the groom stomps on a wine glass in order to bring a happy marriage.
And to get into the mood, throw on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and have a glass of Superstition's riesling/pinot blanc blend, available here.